Rochester girls’ mistakes prove costly in sectional title game against QND

Thursday

Feb 27, 2014 at 10:24 PMFeb 27, 2014 at 10:26 PM

NORMAL — Even if it was just for a half, Rochester High School proved it can hang with the best of the best.

By Ryan MahanStaff Writer

NORMAL — Even if it was just for a half, Rochester High School proved it can hang with the best of the best.

While Quincy Notre Dame — the No. 2 team in The Associated Press' Class 3A poll this week — prevailed 46-31 over the Rockets in the 3A Normal University High Sectional title game Thursday, Rochester held a lead over the three-time state champion Raiders with fewer than 3 minutes left of the third quarter.

Twenty-five turnovers proved to be lethal for the Rockets as QND capitalized in the second half on the same opportunities it missed in the first half.

“The two big keys to the game were to take care of the basketball and get back in transition,” Rochester coach J.R. Boudouris said. “They kind of go hand in hand. If you don't take care of the ball against QND, they are going to cash those points in.

“In my 11 years as a varsity coach, they are the best in capitalizing on your mistakes and then suckering you into playing that tempo.”

With the graduation losses of two seniors, optimism remains behind the sadness in the immediacy of the end of the season for the Rockets (27-6).

Raiders triangled

If fans were nodding off in the first quarter as the two teams combined for six points nearly 6 minutes into the game, the crowd woke up in the second quarter.

First it was QND's faithful, when the Raiders (28-3) tied the game 10 on a three-point play by Mary Beth Hugenberg and an offensive rebound putback by Olivia Hyer.

Then it was the Rockets' turn, going on a 7-0 run on four points from Angela Perry and three from Meagan McNicholas in that span.

Rochester took a 19-13 lead into the locker room at halftime.

“I told the girls at halftime, ‘Our defense has kept us in the game,'” QND coach Eric Orne said. “We could've been blown out early. We just had to get our composure back, find some good opportunities and convert.”

QND's lack of offensive production was in large part a result of Rochester's triangle-and-two defense.

“The first half, their kids were tight or a little surprised,” Boudouris said. “We play almost exclusively man-to-man. The element of surprise was a big part of our game plan.”

Orne, who has guided the Raiders to Class 2A titles in 2011 and 2012 and a Class 3A title in 2013, said the Rochester defense did keep them off guard.

Playing like champs

At the start of the third quarter, Hugenberg was a big focus for the Raiders. She got the first two buckets for QND to cut Rochester's lead 19-17 and would tie the score at 23 at the midway point of the quarter.

“Starting with Mary Beth, we started getting our confidence one player at a time,” Orne said. “When we caught them, our enthusiasm took over.”

Rochester's Angela Perry, a freshman who led the Rockets with 14 points, put her team back in front until a baseline jumper from Hyer and a Hugenberg layup off a Rochester turnover gave the Raiders a 27-26 lead.

Ericka Obert hit her second 3 of the night to open the fourth quarter and the Raiders did nothing but watch their lead grow from there.

Perry added two more fourth-quarter buckets to keep the Rockets within striking distance, but Rochester wouldn't get another score for the final 5:06 of the game.

“We felt we could take them (QND),” Perry said. “Just towards the end, they pulled it out.”